Hanging on Together
by DarkAnsalong
Summary: Ever since that fateful night at the Frankenstein Place, life has been nothing short of awful for Brad Majors. However, he soon discovers that he is not the only one whose life has been ruined at the Frankenstein Place. FLUFFY BRADGENTA FIC.


**Hanging On Together  
>AN I dedicate this fanfic to Akane Kuran. Think of it as a late Christmas present or something. She wrote "School Days" and "Sins of High School Flesh" (she's written other fics too but those are my favorites). I absolutely love her stories, and both of those fics have really helped cheer me up when I was depressed. I actually quote lines from them both all the time (ex. "she's creaky!", "I brought a juice box! It's juice… in a box!", "I wasn't hinting at anything!", "Every. Single. Time", "EAT IT, GENTA!", etc, etc, etc). I really wanted to thank her for writing such awesome fics. And since I know she's a huge fan of Bradgenta… here! I tried my best! :) Hope you enjoy!**

**...Too lazy to edit, by the way. Plus, seeing as I'm still getting used to my new computer's keyboard, there's a good chance I'll just make things worse...**

_Takes place three or four months after RHPS (ST and ROTOQ never happened and never will happen)_

Ever since that fateful night at the Frankenstein Place, life has not been the same. Brad Majors and Janet Weiss tried – desperately tried – to keep their relationship going, but to no avail. Eventually, they both realized that there was no point in trying to stay together. Both were too broken. Frank-N-Furter had successfully ruined any chance they had of spending their life together. Janet had actually done a very good job of adapting to life without Brad. She became rather famous on the streets for doing the same sort of thing that Frank did. However, Brad would not stoop that low. Even with everything Frank had done, he would not lose his dignity like that. So basically, he was completely alone.

The man considered multiple ways to go about life. One of them was to move to some big city – maybe Los Angeles, or New York – and start a completely new life. Another was to live here, but start some sort of big business. He did not like either of these ideas very much. He, in all honesty, missed his old life. He missed waking up and calling Janet and having an awkward conversation through the phone. He missed going on double dates with Ralph and Betty. And he missed just being… normal. Not having to have nightmares every night about aliens and Frankenstein-like creations and tap-dancing groupies. None of these images would ever leave his mind. And he could never tell anyone, or they would think he was crazy. No one would ever believe him if he said that there were aliens from a planet called Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

So, with nothing to do and nowhere to be, Brad ended up living alone in a small house in Denton. And it was extremely lonely. He never talked to Ralph and Betty anymore. Rumor had it they were planning a divorce. He refused to buy some sort of pet. The thought of being _that_ desperate for company sickened him. He spent most of his time at home. In fact, he only really left when he absolutely had to. And no one cared. No one cared where he was or what he was doing with his life (or lack thereof). So he was able to be alone without anyone caring. No one even noticed.

Or… so he thought.

It was a very cold night. One of the coldest Denton had ever seen. The wind outside howled like an injured canine, begging to escape the icy air. Rain fell from the sky, occasionally turning into hail. A soft _tap, tap, tap_ could be heard from the rooftop. Even though it was around ten at night, Brad could not sleep. All of this – the howling, the tapping, the bitter wind - was too similar to a certain night. The night that had ruined his life. So every time he closed his eyes, images of flat tires, glowing castles, and transvestites flashed through his mind. Plus, it was a bit too noisy, with the howling and the tapping and all. No one in Denton was accustomed to weather like this.

Brad sighed and got out of bed. He walked down the hallway, wondering what to do with himself, seeing as the storm seemed relentless. And it would be impossible to sleep with it. Finally, he settled with watching something on television. He flipped through a few channels, wondering what to watch. Finally, he came to some sitcom. He did not care much for the show, but he wanted to take his mind off of everything, so he allowed the laugh track to drown out his thoughts. After about ten minutes, the whole house went black. It took a moment for Brad to figure out what was going on, before realizing that the power had gone out. _It must be the storm,_ he thought.

Growling, the man stood up and looked around. It was very dark, and his eyes seemed as if they refused to get used to it. He squinted a bit as he began walking, gripping the walls for support. He made his way to the kitchen, where he found matches and a candle. With a bit of trouble, he managed to light it. Now he had some light, if not much. With this newfound comfort, he sat down at the dining room table to think. He had no sleep, no power, and nothing to do. He sighed. Basically, it looked like he would be spending his night sitting at his table. How fun.

Then he heard a loud crash. Maybe it was just because he had gotten used to the silence, or because he just was not expecting it, but the crash sounded insanely loud. He let out a cry of surprise and stood up, looking around and trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Was someone robbing him? The sound had definitely been from inside his house. But where? Suddenly, he heard what sounded like footsteps coming from one of his rooms. Quickly, Brad stood up. He grabbed the candle and ran down the hallway, hoping to find the intruder.

First, he checked the bathroom, which had a large window. He wondered if the culprit had gotten in through it. However, the window was locked and looked untouched. Confused, he ran into his bedroom, which also had a window, though not as large. After searching for quite awhile, he found it to be completely empty of any living creature as well. Seeing as he lived in a small house, there really was nowhere else to look. Or at least, nowhere with an entrance. Deciding to check just in case, Brad walked towards the laundry room. From the outside, it looked exactly as he had left it – closed with a few clothes scattered at the door. Another soft sound came from inside. Something was definitely in there.

Brad swallowed hard, finding himself feeling slightly scared. Who was in there? How had they gotten in there? Or… was he just imagining things? His breathing a bit harder than usual, he grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open as fast as he could. Much to his shock, no one was there. He looked around for a moment, but with nothing but the dull candlelight, it seemed as if no one was in the room besides himself. Deciding he was simply going insane or something, he turned to leave the room. Just as he was, he heard another sound. This time it sounded like a voice. A _female_ voice.

Then many things happened at once. The door suddenly hit him hard on the head, he fell over, some sort of blur flew past him, he heard someone mutter something, his candle dropped, his shirt began glowing, and he heard a loud crash beside him. After all of this, he had to take a moment to fully regain his senses. Once he had, he realized that his shirt was on fire. A wave of panic swept through him as he stood up, furiously trying to get rid of the flames. He felt his chest get rather hot. Now he was burning. He was certain he was going to die. Burned to death because of some stupid door. Then, he felt something cold wash over him. Water. The fire immediately disappeared. His chest still hurting from where he was burned, Brad began working on his next problem. He had heard a very loud crash. He began looking around to figure out what it was, but found himself unable to without his candlelight and his glasses. _His glasses!_ That's what had crashed. He soon found them on the ground, cracked. They were now useless. He threw them aside. He needed to get new ones anyway.

And now he had to solve his last problem. _Who walked past him?_ He was now absolutely certain he was not alone in this house. Someone had gotten into the laundry room, slammed him into a door, poured water on him to stop him from burning to death, and now… she was somewhere in his house. He immediately ran out of the room, trying to find whoever he was looking for. Without his glasses or a light source, this was practically impossible. However, the person decided to make it easier for him to find her, for the second he ran into his bedroom, he saw the culprit. Thanks to his current lack of vision, and the darkness, he could not see who it was.

"Sorry about that." a voice said, supposedly belonging to the figure before him, even though he could not see well enough to tell. "I'm still learning how to teleport. I meant to go straight to the dining room, but I guess my coordinates were a bit off." The voice was so familiar, Brad practically fainted. He could not figure out exactly who it was, but he knew she had something to do with the Transylvanians. He took a step back, not wanting anything to do with her. He did not want anything to do with anyone from Transylvania.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he snapped. "And what are you doing in my house? And what's this about teleporting?"

It was the figure's turn to take a step back this time. She stared at Brad as if surprised he had used this tone with her. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to talk to someone. Someone who understands." Brad raised an eyebrow. She had an accent. An eerily familiar accent that made his skin crawl.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his voice strained. Just as the figure looked as if she was about to answer, lightning flashed. Her just a split second her form was visible, and Brad almost cried out. He recognized her immediately. She even had the same maid outfit she had worn when they had met. And her hair was just as fiery and unkempt. For a moment no name would form in his mouth. Nothing that matched her. Then, it appeared as if someone had carved it into his mind perfectly. He could not help but say it aloud. "Magenta,"

The figure took a step closer. "So you do remember." She nodded. "And that means you remember Frank-N-Furter too." She sighed and, although it was hard for Brad to see, it seemed as if she was looking at the ground.

Brad felt angrier than he had ever been in his entire life. He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here? What do you want with me?"

Magenta actually jumped back. "Listen, I know you're upset. You're upset at what we did. Or rather, what Frank-N-Furter did. But you don't understand. I'm not like them. And neither is Riff. Or at least, he wasn't at the time." Brad was surprised to hear the alien sniff softly, as if some awful memory had just come back to her. She looked up at him again. Because of the darkness, the only thing he could see of her was her eyes. Those dark, emerald eyes that have haunted him for so long. "I came here to talk to you. You're the only one who makes sense. The only one who's gone through the same sort of things as me."

Brad just stared. "What are you talking about?"

When the alien spoke again, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Do you think my life was easy? I wasn't like Frank. I'm not some spoiled brat who uses people for my own enjoyment. I've spent my whole life kissing up to that idiot. And everyone around me slowly went mad. But I was the only one. The only one who actually kept herself together. Even Riff Raff eventually fell apart from it all." There was a long moment of silence. Brad considered speaking, but eventually just let Magenta continue. "And then I saw you. And I saw that you, too, have been trying. Trying to hang on to sanity. And I hoped… maybe… we could…" Her voice trailed off, and Brad tried desperately to figure out what the end of her sentence may have been.

The man finally came out of his daze. He stared, unable to come up with a good reply to what she had just told him. At last, he managed to mutter, "You were just as much a part of ruining my life as all the others, weren't you?"

Magenta shook her head. "But that's where you're wrong. I never did anything against you or your fiancé. I don't think we ever really even spoke to each other. And I need someone now, Brad Majors. I need someone who I know won't go off and act like an idiot." She took a step towards him, and Brad could see a glimmer in her eyes that made him… intrigued?

When Brad spoke again, he was a bit more hesitant. "I… I can't. Not after what you've done." Magenta opened her mouth to protest, but he spoke again before she could. "Maybe you didn't do anything directly, but your people did. You stupid Transylvanians basically destroyed everything I had. And I could never be close to one. Not after everything I've been through." When the alien looked at the ground, obviously crying or on the verge of it, Brad was surprised to discover that he actually felt bad for her. He looked up for a moment, not wanting to have to stare into her eyes any longer. "I'm sorry, Magenta. I really am. But…" he trailed off, sighing softly.

Magenta blinked and stared at him. She twisted her head to the side, much like a dog, as if studying him. For a long time, they stood there in silence. Brad continued looking at the ceiling. Magenta continued looking at Brad, sniffing occasionally. The soft _tap_, _tap, tap _of the rain continued on the roof. The howling of the wind seemed lonelier than ever. Both human and alien wished the other would speak, break the silence, but neither did. Finally, Magenta swallowed quietly and walked right up to him, so that she was directly in front of him. Brad found himself wanting to take a step back, but also unable to do so. He wanted to know what she would do.

"You don't want me gone, Brad Majors." she told him, her voice a bit stronger than it had been before. "Because you know I'm right. You know perfectly well that what I've said is nothing but the absolute truth. But you don't want to admit it, do you? You don't want to admit that a Transylvanian – a species of monstrosities that you can't stand – is absolutely correct about your emotions." Brad stared at her. She was now so close that her expression could be seen perfectly. On her ruby red lips was a very smug smile. When she saw the expression of confusion on the earthling's face, she cackled. "I am from Transsexual. I grew up as a poor, lowlife domestic with nothing but her brother for company. I know people."

She took a step closer still, and Brad realized that she smelled like some sort of pastry. A fresh, warm smell with an almost tangy twist to it. He wondered if it was perfume, or just a scent she had managed to acquire from all those years in the kitchen. Either way, he knew he liked it a bit more than he should have. He wondered why he had not noticed that smell last time he had met her. He probably had not been paying attention. She continued to stare at him, her eyes sparkling in a way that made him shiver a bit. It was if she was cutting into him, searching him both inside and out. And waiting. Waiting for the response she wanted to hear.

Brad cleared his throat. "Look, M- Magenta. I really don't think…" However, he trailed off once more. He saw that same smirk flicker on the alien's lips. For some reason, this made him angry. He remembered that same smirk playing across Frank's face. He remembered how awful that night had been. His eyes narrowed once more. "No." he snapped. Magenta's eyes widened and the smirk immediately left her lips. "I don't want anything to do with you. Why don't you just listen? I hate you. I hate you, and your stupid brother, and that stupid groupie, and your stupid master. You're all terrible. Just… go! Go back to your own planet, you freak!" Without really thinking, he shoved the alien away.

Then, the unexpected happened. Magenta stared for a moment at the earthling, disbelief slowly dimming her eyes, before falling to the ground, sobbing. Or, it was close to sobbing. Tears were definitely falling from her face, and she was sniffing, and occasionally whimpering, but it did not sound like a true sob. "I thought…" she began, her face in her hands. "I thought that you would… you would understand. I thought that if anyone would let me stay with them… it would be you. But I guess… I guess I thought wrong." She continued sobbing. "I care, B- Brad Majors. I'm… I'm not like the others. They were all… inhuman. Even… even Riff Raff. But not me. I actually… I actually try."

The man blinked, trying to figure out what she was trying to say. He had noticed one thing: he felt immensely bad for the alien. Against his better judgment, he walked over to Magenta and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. The second he touched her she looked up with a small gasp, her emerald eyes widening. For some reason, he smiled. And she returned the smile slowly, continuing to sniff a bit. "Magenta, I'm sorry." he told her. "I just… I just don't know. I don't know about anything anymore. And you showing up tonight… it was so sudden and unexpected. How in the world was I supposed to react?"

To Brad's surprise, Magenta laughed. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and stood up. "I don't know. I was being stupid, I guess. I mean, you earthlings are not used to random visits in the middle of the night, eh?"

Brad smiled a bit wider. He was not sure why he had suddenly changed his mind about the alien, but he had. "Look, I wouldn't mind you staying for awhile. But it's hard. I don't really have a guest room or anything, and with the storm and all, this place isn't exactly comforting…" He looked around, staring at his little bedroom. It was – arguably – the nicest room in the house. When he spoke next, he was not even sure he meant was he was saying. The words just sort of blurted out. "You can stay in this room, if you want."

Then came the awkward silence. Brad felt his face flush. He was not sure what Magenta had been expecting, but this was definitely not it. Finally, a smile appeared on her reddened lips, and she nodded. "Okay," she nodded. "I'll stay in here." She brushed some of her mane-like hair from her face and walked over to the bed, where she promptly sat down. After another moment of silence, she asked, "So where will you stay?"

Brad, who had been busy being shocked by how fine she was about staying in some random guy's bedroom, came back to reality at this question. He thought for a long time, unable to come up with a reply. He did not really own a couch – just a small chair – so his living room would not work. And that was pretty much the only other room in the house with furniture, so…

"You can stay here." she decided with a finality in her tone. She stared at Brad's expression, trying to figure out what it was, before adding, "And don't worry. I promise nothing awkward will happen in any way." The alien paused. Brad still looked very unconvinced. She raised her left hand a bit. "Domestic's honor." Brad rolled his eyes at this statement. He still felt very unsure about her offer. He had met her once before and only spoke to her _maybe_ once. And now they would be sharing a room? Magenta sighed. "Look, I'm not like Frank-N-Furter. You can trust me." She smiled. This time, it was not a smirk, but a kind, sincere smile that made him smile back.

"I… I'm not…"

"Listen to me, Brad Majors." she snapped, her voice sounded stronger with each word. "I know why you feel this way to me. Frank was awful. That's why we put him down. He gave us all a bad reputation. But you must understand that we're not all like that! I'm here to find someone who understands me. So please, please don't fear me. Just trust that I'll actually act… human." She smiled. Brad was surprised to realize that he had completely forgotten that the woman before him was not really a human being at all, but some alien from another galaxy.

The earthling sighed. "I guess…"

"And you have nightmares every night, don't you? Especially on rainy nights like this." Magenta looked around, listening to the soft tapping that persisted through the night. This statement made Brad shiver a bit. So she had been watching him? For how long? What else did she know about his life? Magenta, who was still sitting at the side of the bed, rolled her eyes, smiling again. "Please, Brad Majors. I assure you there is absolutely no reason to feel awkward around me."

For some reason, Brad could not help but walk over to her. The smirk returned on the alien's lips, and she raised an eyebrow. The exact same way Frank had. However, this did not stop him this time. It was a different pair of lips. And the smirk had – if Magenta was to be believed – a completely different motive. Finally, the earthling became brave enough to actually sit down beside the alien, who's smirk suddenly turned into a huge smile. Brad noticed tears form in her eyes. And, before he could say or do anything to stop her, she had thrown herself at him and fallen into his arms. Brad could not do anything but stare down at her.

"You have no idea… no idea how much I need… how much I've needed…" She trailed off. She was not crying, but seemed so overcome with emotion that she did not know what to do with herself. Brad eventually became brave enough to begin stroking her fiery red hair. He was surprised to find how incredibly soft it was. Much softer than any earthling's hair he had ever felt, that was for sure. At last, she looked up at him, blinking her emerald grin eyes, which had a very strange twinkle to them. He stared into them, feeling a bit braver than before. He was not sure what to make of her. What to make of any of this. He wondered if he was dreaming. He would have been sure he was dreaming if it had not been for those eyes. They were so… real.

Finally, awkwardness and uncertainty kicked into Brad, and he could not help but push her away. Magenta blinked at him, a very small smile on her face, before deciding not to argue with him and laying down on the bed, burying her head into the pillows. She turned away from him, and he heard her yawn softly. There was silence for a long time as Brad sat, staring at the alien as she drifted off to sleep. Reality seemed like a distant planet… like Transsexual itself. Finally, he cleared his throat to get her attention, and she gave a soft "Mmm" in response, showing she could hear him. When he spoke, his voice was very hoarse and very overpowered by the rain. "I never thought I would ever see you again… and be here, like this…"

Magenta looked up at him, a smile on her face. The smile was so full of happiness and kindness that he could not help but return it. He had never seen Magenta smile like that. She just… had not been happy last time they had seen each other. "You know, you don't have to be all shy like that. I don't mind being cuddled." Her expression never changed. She remained looking happy and friendly and kind and _innocent_.

Brad blushed. Maybe Transylvanians were used to people telling them things like this (even if they were nearly strangers), but no earthling was used to this sort of thing. "I… er…" Magenta laughed aloud and pulled him down to her level. His face turned an even darker red as she turned to face him, snuggling up against his chest. "Magenta, I…" Still, the earthling had nothing to say. The _tap, tap, tap_ of the rain continued drowning out everything.

After a moment, Magenta raised her head and stared at Brad, looking deep into his eyes. She chewed on her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but did not have the words. The alien finally settled with nuzzling up against his chest, making herself closer to him than ever, and murmuring, "I'm so happy to have found someone. Thank you, Brad Majors." She sighed. Brad smiled down at her, finally starting to get comfier and more used to having the alien pressed against him. He became brave enough to play with her hair, and even stroke her arm and neck gently. At last, Magenta broke the silence by asking, "Hey, Brad?"

Brad immediately realized that this was the first time she had not called him by his full name. This made him smile. "Yes, Magenta?" he asked her softly.

The alien looked up, her eyes shining brighter than ever. "Remember… remember when I was talking earlier?" Brad, who had no clue what she meant, just nodded, wanting to know where she was going with this. Magenta smiled. "What I was going to say was… I want us to hang on to sanity… together." She blinked. Brad's face flushed, but he could not help but smile back.

"Okay." He nodded. "We'll hang on together." He finally gathered up the courage to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Before he had fully thought over his actions, he kissed the top of her fiery red head very gently. She sighed again.

That night, even with the _tap, tap, tap_ of the rain, Brad had no nightmares. And Magenta found herself – for the first time in months – able to sleep without staining her entire bed with tears. Basically, both alien and earthling found themselves able to live a normal life again. And that was how it went for the rest of their lives. Both of them learned to stay alive through each other. They thrived through each other's actions. Together, they managed to stay sane. They hung onto sanity together.

_-End_

_A/N Merry Christmas, Akane Kuran! Hope you like it! :) Sorry I didn't get a chance to upload it ON Christmas. I wanted to spend time with my family. Oh, and this is the longest oneshot I've ever written! :D I think that's quite an accomplishment! Anyway, there ya go!_


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